>My favorite indication of how the president feels towards issues related to energy independence is:
>
>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/23/opinion/meyer/main537649.shtml
>
>"The loophole would allow someone who buys an $102,581 Hummer H1 for “business purposes” to deduct $87,135 from his taxes immediately. Seriously. Good deal if you can get it".
>

There are tons of tax breaks in the overbloated tax code and they will continue until this country elects leaders who are serious about simplifying it (flat tax, national sales without income tax, etc). In the meantime I believe that everyone should be taking advantage of every tax break available. One of my favorite books is "How to pay zero taxes" now available in its 23rd edition.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007146039X/sr=8-1/qid=1155746570/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9222853-2672728?ie=UTF8

>Now if we could have just taken a few billion dollars from the war in Iraq and put it towards energy independence, we would be at least doing something for our future and the future of the world.

How about we make billions of tax dollars and put it towards energy independence. Open up the coasts, the oil fields in the mid-west and Alaska for drilling. Let the private sector handle the drilling costs and charge them for the priviledge. America collects on taxes and supplies its own oil. We could then spend the money as real tax incentives to companies who research alternatives.